Insights from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival
We’re just back from our annual trip to the Sundance Film Festival, and we have so many insights and ideas to share. One insight in particular is worth calling out: the concept of narrative oceans, a framework developed by the Pop Culture Collaborative for understanding and influencing how stories shape our society. Narrative oceans serve […]
MIF Member Spotlight: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
For more than 40 years, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), has been at the forefront of defending journalists around the globe, ensuring they can report the truth safely and without fear of persecution. As attacks on the press continue to escalate—both internationally and here in the United States—journalists face mounting threats, including online harassment, […]
Here’s what the MIF team is reading, watching and listening to these days
For our final newsletter of the year, I’ve asked my colleagues what kinds of media they’re into right now. The choices are endless these days, and I just need to know that there’s more to life than “Cobra Kai.” (I hope you all remember that this was the #1 streaming show during COVID lockdowns. And […]
Curating and Executing an Accessible Zoom Meeting: A Model for Accessibility
We recently hosted an online meeting about how funders can advance accessibility in media and film. Throughout the planning process, our team learned a lot about what it takes to produce a virtual event that is inclusive and accessible to all participants. Dig into the steps we took below—we hope this will serve as a […]
MIF is hiring an Executive Director
Position: Executive Director Location: Flexible in the U.S., with up to 33% estimated travel (U.S. and international) Reporting relationship: Board of Directors ABOUT MEDIA IMPACT FUNDERS Media Impact Funders (MIF) traces its roots back to the Council on Foundations, a longtime philanthropy-serving organization. Formerly Grantmakers in Film, Video & Television, MIF began on a volunteer […]
WATCH: Access Matters: Funders Role in Advancing Accessibility in Media and Film
We explored the current state of disability representation in media and why it is crucial to address the persistent lack of inclusivity and support for people with disabilities. This representation matters because it shapes public perception and opportunities, yet individuals with disabilities often face barriers to equitable participation and portrayal. The panelists provided actionable insights […]
Journalism’s Threatened Role in Our Democracy
Catherine Devine (Rita Allen Foundation Civic Science Fellow 2024-25) shares reflections from the 2024 JFunders annual meeting in San Francisco: My first encounter with journalism was with my town’s Hometown Weekly—a modest paper that covered everything from local elections to dance recitals, graduations to high school football games. It was only recently, at the JFunders annual […]
How funders can navigate election anxiety—and prepare for what’s next
Angelica Das is an associate director on the Public Square Team at Democracy Fund. Last month, during our annual journalism funders gathering, Angelica led a discussion about how funders are supporting each other, their staff and their grantees at a time of intense anxiety around the election. If you’re feeling election anxiety, you’re not alone. […]
Highlights from JFunders24: Day 2
Day 2 of JFunders24 was focused on funder-only discussions, some meant to expand funders’ understanding of journalism grantmaking—such as a session unpacking the mechanics of for-profit grantmaking—and others that were meant to explore opportunities for support in areas such as legal threats, digital and physical safety and security, the backlash against racial equity, and more. […]
Highlights from JFunders24: Day 1
At a time when pillars of American journalism such as The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times are crumbling at the hands of their billionaire owners, leading lights of journalism and philanthropy came together last week for the annual gathering of journalism funders at public media bulwark KQED in San Francisco to explore how […]
MIF Member Spotlight: The Schmidt Family Foundation
Since 2006, the Schmidt Family Foundation, established by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, has been at the forefront of supporting climate change communication initiatives. Wendy Schmidt, with her background in journalism, recognized the critical role of clear and accurate information in driving meaningful action. One of the Foundation’s key priorities has been to bridge the gap […]